All pet dogs do indeed go to heaven — if they are privileged ample to cross the path of Jimmy and Vicky Allen of South Boston.
The Allens are the caped crusaders of animal rescue and take their roles very seriously as the saviors of the homeless and unloved 4-legged critters in Southside Virginia.
Jimmy, a current retiree and his spouse, Vicky, have taken on the position of rescue in Halifax County. Jimmy was the owner and operator of Riverdale Auto Elements and Vicky retired when Atlantic Professional medical shut its doors.
They perform tirelessly in search of the best properties for orphaned pups with the Halifax Doggy Squad, matching every pup to a potential puppy mother or father. It’s an countless chore that they’ve devoted their life to.
“I’ve always beloved animals,” Jimmy stated. “I bought that from my grandmother, I’m positive.”
The local shelters are loaded to the brim with canines and cats, in particular following the pandemic began to occur to an end. In the course of the time quite a few persons expended confined inside, residents freely opened their residences to the thought of a pet.
Nevertheless, when they moved from distant get the job done back to the place of work, lots of identified they could no for a longer time keep the animals.
“How unfair to the adopted furbabies,” Vicky said. “It’s a entire-time position.”
They also drive a transportation van to other rescues and shelters to guarantee the population of homeless puppies have a risk-free haven to lay their heads. Quite a few of their resident pups are generally flown to parts these as Northern Virginia and Maryland with a lesser populace of abandonment.
“The straightforward remedy to this difficulty is spay and neuter your sweet pets,” Vicky claimed. “Halifax County could do improved and receives a C-minus on the grading curve. But it’s by no means as well late to do superior.”
Jimmy and Vicky have constructed a thoroughly heated and air-conditioned creating on their house that houses those lucky pups. Each individual doggy has its very own kennel, obtain to a substantial engage in region for tough housing and each and every just one gets all the like and notice they are worthy of.
And the reward at the stop of the day is when they’re expressing farewell and observing the pups go home to the forever household they’ve waited patiently for.
In addition to the rescue pups, the Allen relatives is composed of 5 dogs and two cats that they adore. And of system, they had been all rescues also. “Foster failures,” as Jimmy phone calls them.
Jimmy and Vicky are possessing enjoyment these times in their rescue work, the two now retired and doing what they adore.
“Together, it is just like courting all over again,” reported Vicky. Just after 25 yrs of relationship, this is the icing on the cake.
They can at times be seen riding close to town on a joy trip with their furbabies.
They also have two small children, Michael Compton, stationed in Alabama, and Jenna Wilmouth in South Boston.